Remote Team Training: Tips for Remote Managers

Remote management is a skill. This video shares tips for how to be a great remote manager. 

Video Transcription: Remote Team Training. Tips for Remote Managers

Managing requires a skill set all its own. And managing remotely is no exception. Challenges can range from a lack of face-to-face interaction, to trust issues, and in some cases, to employees feeling their manager is out of touch with their needs. Let's go over some tips on how to be a great remote manager.

Make yourself available at the same time as your direct reports. This is extremely important as it allows you to have an open line of communication and enables you to ask and answer questions regarding tasks and projects without delay. The last thing you want is for your team to feel like giving or receiving information about a project is harder than it should be.

Different ways of communicating are necessary as there is no one size fits all solution. Time-sensitive questions or casual conversations are better suited for messaging applications where people can respond quickly and effortlessly. Email is better for sending larger chunks of information all at once, where it can be easier to archive or search for the information later. And lastly, more important or sensitive conversations are best over video calls which feel more personal than text or audio-only conversations.

Having digital face-to-face communication with your team is also important as feelings of loneliness and social isolation from their organization are some of the most common complaints of remote workers. To help counter that as a manager, you should hold weekly video calls with your direct reports, whether it be one on ones, or a team call to check-in and connect on both work and life.

Each person on your team was likely hired for being talented at what they do. As it is important to set expectations about when and how work should be done, allowing them to accomplish tasks on their own without constantly checking on progress is crucial to building a strong and trusting relationship with your direct reports.

It's important as a manager that you offer encouragement and emotional support. If you see that someone is struggling with their work or even acting differently, don't be afraid to reach out. Even asking a simple question like, "how is this remote work situation working out for you?" can reveal a lot of information to help you better support your team members.

The tips in this video are a great starting point for people managing a remote team. But the most important thing to do is try different solutions and find out what works best for you and your team.